ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — of a king
  4. key — the most important part
  5. race — a contest
  6. court — of law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. shower — rain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. court — for sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. race — humankind
  14. spring — the season
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. race — the arms race
  18. current — of water
  19. key — for a lock
  20. current — electric
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — happening now
  23. key — in music
  24. shower — to wash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com